IJOY MAXO 315W TC Box Mod – Quad 18650
The triple battery box mods have revolutionized the vaping world throughout 2016. It seems like everywhere I look, someone is vaping on the WISMEC RX200 or the Lost Vape Triade. Now with so many manufacturers jumping on the three cell train, IJOY decided to up the ante with a quad battery device, the IJOY MAXO 315W TC Box Mod ($54.95 at Element Vape). Is having four 18650 batteries overkill? It’s big and bulky with enough power to start your car (hypothetically speaking), battery life that is second to none and all wrapped up in a customizable but simplistic frame; the IJOY MAXO is definitely a device I was anxious to review. I can honestly say this box mod is not for the average or casual vaper out there. This is for the Cloud Beasts (pardon the pun) that get satisfaction out of pushing themselves and their devices to the limit or someone that enjoys insanely long battery life. If that’s something you’re looking for then you’re reading the right review!
This is the first quad 18650 box mod that has been produced for the masses. There have been other custom boxes that could hold and run quad batteries but mostly in a mechanical fashion. The IJOY MAXO 315W TC Box Mod is an enormous device but is actually lighter than I anticipated. The mod itself weighs 197g while the additional four batteries give it a total weight of 380g (289g with only two batteries). Even though it does weigh just a hair more than the Lost Vape Triade DNA250 Box Mod, I was pleased how comfortable it is to hold. The IJOY MAXO is crafted from Zinc-Alloy with some included Stainless Steel. The paint has a smooth texture to it and the optional stickers provide a non-slip surface. I received the Red version but the MAXO is also available in Yellow, Black and Limited Edition Blue. Each variation come with six pairs of stickers that cover a small portion of each side surrounding the battery venting holes (Bronze, Olive Green, Black, Brown, Tan Tile design and Silver Carbon Fiber came with mine). Removing the 3M super-sticky backing is easy to do and to install. Simply peel the color off and exchange them out (mine came with no stickers preinstalled) which can be saved and reused.
The chipset is designed by IWEPAL (almost identical to the IJOY Limitless LUX Box Mod) that’s very simple to navigate and even easier to learn. No extra hold this and press that; straight to the point operation that I can appreciate in the universe of overcomplicated menus and button clicks. At full throttle you will reach 315W (150W with dual 18650 cells) and a voltage output limit of 9V. Temperature Control works flawlessly with the standard Nickel, Titanium and Stainless Steel wires (300°-600°F) on board. Unfortunately, no TCR customization but the accuracy of the Stainless Steel in particular is on point. You can adjust the wattage in TC Mode up to 60W in Nickel/Titanium and 80W in Stainless Steel. Hopefully the limits can be lifted with a future firmware upgrade since 60W-80W for a 300W+ mod is way too low in my opinion.
You have four Ramp-up Modes (Soft, Normal, Hard and User) which depending on if I’m using a Sub-Ohm Tank or an RTA/RDA, stays on Normal or Hard. User Mode is a custom power curve option where you can adjust your wattage in half-second increments to further personalize your vape. I don’t find myself using this option as much but it does work great when I do. With a 0.06Ω resistance limit and 50A of max continuous output, the IJOY MAXO 315W TC Box Mod can handle any range of atomizers you attach to it. The basic menu only takes three clicks to reach and can be learned within a minute or two.
The obvious difference maker with the IJOY MAXO is its quad 18650 capability. Ideally to get the most efficient use and to harness the most power and battery life, running quad high-amp 18650 batteries (an additional purchase) is the way to go. The amount of triple digit vape time and overall battery life is truly amazing! I ran the IJOY Tornado 150 Sub-Ohm RTA Tank (review coming soon) most of the time pushing between 100-110W and got two full days of vaping! Besides the crazy 315W power output, I would recommend the IJOY MAXO for battery life alone. I was able to run all four batteries down to 3.3V (all were drained to exactly 3.36V) until I got a low battery warning. Because the two battery icons on the display are reading each pair of batteries, I would’ve liked to see individual battery monitoring or percentages versus a simple depleting bar.
If for some reason you don’t have four batteries to throw in the IJOY MAXO when you receive it, it’s able to run on dual 18650 batteries if you choose. Honestly, why would anyone buy the largest device currently on the market and only use dual batteries? When powered on, you’ll only have one battery icon (versus two with four batteries) since each icon represents the pair or sets of batteries. I bought four brand new Sony VT6 batteries specifically for the MAXO and the battery life is what you’d expect with four 3000mAh cells; incredible! Make sure you budget in batteries, which does raise the cost at least $20, if you plan to buy the IJOY MAXO and run all four batteries as you don’t want to take two sets of married batteries and combine them (in my opinion of course).
The hinged battery door has a slot cutout that makes battery exchanges quick and easy. My Sony VTC6’s slide in and out perfectly with no hesitation and the door stays closed and latched. Expect no battery rattle and the two sets of ventilation holes on each side help heat escape and also adds some visual flare. There is a small bulge in the middle between the battery door and the frame. It doesn’t sit flush with the bottom edge of the device and could possibly worsen over time. When there’s no batteries installed, the door likes to flip open and is hard to keep closed. Keep in mind that you do need to flip the device upside down to change the batteries so if you have a tank that could possibly leak, remove it beforehand. Battery orientation markings are clearly presented on the bottom of the mod, underneath the battery door next to the Gold-plated battery contacts and where you slide the batteries into place. Inside the mod all four of the battery contacts are spring-loaded and Gold-plated (as well as the 510 center pin). The micro USB port is for firmware upgrades only (a USB cord is included) so make sure you have an external battery charger. After removing the batteries, the screen rotation and VW settings will reset back to default; exactly the same thing I dealt with on the IJOY Limitless LUX Mod but not a big deal.
The Stainless Steel ‘Stretch’ fire button has a smooth engagement but has a slight rattle when the device is shaken (not something you’ll notice on a daily basis). Despite the IJOY MAXO’s obnoxiously large chassis, the fire button is smartly located which makes trigger firing my hand configuration of choice. Response time is on par with other IJOY devices and the firing delay is non-existent. The two square regulatory buttons share the same solid construction and are spaced apart enough for effortless adjustability. When the screen orientation is flipped, the up/down remains the same and won’t change along with the screen. The bright 0.91inch OLED display (IJOY calls it a Graphic UI) is easy to read during day or night (comes preinstalled with a screen protector that I recommend keeping on to avoid surface scratches).
When attaching tanks to the IJOY MAXO Box Mod, the Stainless Steel 510 connection protrudes from the device giving a miniscule gap that isn’t too noticeable. The threads are smooth and all the tanks that I used stayed flush with the 510 connection with no additional movement. Atomizers up to 25mm will not overhang on the front of the mod but anything bigger will. IJOY could’ve shifted the 510 more towards the center so the monster sized tanks (30-40mm) could be used.
If you prefer ergonomic devices with convenient portability, you definitely want to find something more reasonable. The 315W is way over my preferred vape but having it available in case I need it is always a relieving thing. The restrictive wattage in all three TC Modes could be a deterrent for some consumers but hopefully a future update could remove those limitations.
Final Grade – A
“If the size and weight is not a concern, the IJOY MAXO 315W TC Box Mod is amazing! Two days of triple digit vaping with enough power to handle any atomizer you throw at it. Along with being customizable, inexpensive and an easy mod to operate, this is definitely a mod I would buy purchase more than one of. And all for $54.95 at Element Vape; you won’t regret it!”
Team Spinfuel
iJoy MAXO 15W TC Box Mod Features:
- Proprietary Chipset by IWEPAL
- Dimensions: 89mm by 64mm by 41mm
- Quad High-Amp 18650 Platform – Sold Separately
- Optional Dual High-Amp 18650 Battery
- Wattage Ouput Range: 5-315W
- Minimum Atomizer Resistance: 0.06ohm
- Temperature Control Range: 300-600F
- Ni200 Nickel , Titanium, and Stainless Steel Compatibility
- Poly-Angular Frame
- Natural Soft Contour
- Intuitive GUI Interface – OLED Display
- Customizable Appearance
- Three-Button Operation
- Oversized Squared Firing Mechanism
- Hinged Battery Door
- Short Circuit Protection
- Overcurrent Protection
- Overvoltage Protection
- Overcharge Protection
- Over-Discharge Protection
- MicroUSB Port – Firmware Upgrades
- Spring-Loaded Stainless Steel 510 Connection
